Coronavirus (COVID-19) & Your Wedding: Impact, Changes, and Hope
When we were all toasting champagne and ringing in 2020, I’m sure we never thought that a few months later we’d be in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. For all our couples planning a wedding in Hawaii (or planning a wedding anywhere in the world at this rate), you’re now faced with the dreaded question…. “Should we postpone our wedding?” I wish there was a simple answer to this, but this situation is anything but simple.
As the COVID-19 crisis continue to evolve and change, it has had a huge impact in the wedding industry. Considering that you are having a destination wedding, a large factor in this (besides the time and money you’ve invested) can be the task of actually getting to your wedding destination. There are so many travel restrictions, quarantine policies, and overall safety/health risks that make getting to your wedding location even more challenging. And that’s just one element of the many logistics that you have to account for in this process.
Okay- I know that paragraph is a lot to take in. But let’s collectively take a *deep breath* and enter the mindset of figuring it out and remembering that you are not alone- you’ve got us, your family, your friends, and each other! Over the next few paragraphs in this blog, we’ll outline some general “rule of thumb” recommendations when it comes to deciding your immediate next steps in light of COVID-19 impacting your wedding.
Spring 2020 Weddings:
If you have a wedding that is happening during Spring 2020 (from March-May), you will likely be faced with the decision to have to postpone your wedding due to travel restrictions, quarantines, and state mandates. As our communities at large are now just beginning to implement stricter measures for social distancing, it can take some time before we start to see any resemblance of normality in our lives. Even if your venue is permitting you to host your event, you’d have to consider how many of your guests would feel comfortable attending and celebrating in the midst of what is happening. This factor alone is a strong motivation for some couples to postpone.
I’m Debating About Postponing. What Are My Next Steps:
If you are deciding to postpone your wedding, we recommend that you begin contacting your vendors as soon as you and your fiancé have come to this decision. But reaching this decision isn’t necessarily always easy. For weddings in the immediate future, yes, postponing is becoming the primary choice you have at this point due to mandates. But if your wedding is in late May- June, you’re now falling into a period of time that is still far enough away where we can monitor changes, but still close enough that it could be impacted. Our advice is for couples with weddings in April-May to prep for a postponement and reach out to vendors. For couples getting married in late May and June, continue to monitor the situation and make the call around 5-6 weeks until your wedding.
If you’ve now made the decision to postpone, the first vendors you should be reaching out to are your planner and your venue. We need to check open availabilities with your venue and you can work alongside your planner to begin reaching out to other vendors.
Things to keep in mind regarding rescheduling:
Most of your vendors will have specific policies regarding rescheduling, but most of the time, the initial deposit (and sometimes all the payments that have been completed thus far if you are on a payment plan) are nonrefundable. The remaining balance can possibly carry over to your new wedding date pending their availability. You will need to check with each individual vendor regarding their rebooking and cancellation policies. Do keep in mind that this COVID-19 situation is likely the first time your vendors are having to deal with something of this scale, so please know that they care and they are trying their best to navigate these waters alongside you!
It’s also important to take a look at your vendor roster list and figure out which are your top vendor priorities to rebook. The reality is that there are hundreds of couples who are also in your position of having to postpone their wedding and are all simultaneously reaching out to these vendors to reschedule. There could be cases where not all your vendors are available on your new target date. So, knowing which vendors you absolutely cannot live without, will help in prioritizing how to reschedule your wedding date. Be sure to get your vendors information regarding how they are handling rebookings and what options you have should they not be available on your new target wedding date. (This is another benefit of your wedding planning team- they can assist with navigating through vendor availabilities and expedite this process for you)
When rescheduling your wedding, it’s important to come into it with a positive mindset and remember that your vendor team is working hard to make this transition seamless for you. I advise couples to anticipate spending anywhere between $5,000+ in additional services needed should their entire vendor team not be available on their new date.
If you have guests who are traveling and concerned about how this can potentially impact their flight plans, we advise that they contact their airline to review their ticket policies and information. If your guests have not yet purchased their flight tickets, but are planning to do so in the near future, we suggest that they purchase insurance for their ticket (this is something that is normally offered/prompted at the checkout process via the airline website).
If you have guests who do not feel comfortable traveling to Hawaii, please know that while it is unfortunate that they will not be able to attend, there are definitely ways they can still experience the wedding. For example, we can look into adding in a same day edit (or quick turnaround edit) with your video team in order for you to be able to share that on the same day with friends/family who could not attend. There are also some services that offer live streaming of events for those who cannot be there in person.
There’s A Person Behind The Business:
This is not an easy time for anyone- especially you. You’ve spent months (sometimes years) planning this day and have invested a lot into it. You’ve hand selected your vendor team and fallen in love with their work, envisioning how it will make your own wedding dreams come true. So, even though your wedding vision might have to pivot slightly because of this situation, don’t forget that you fell in love with your vendor team for a reason.
They’re going through a lot. Most in the industry are small businesses and are being heavily impacted by this situation. A little compassion can make the world of a difference to the people behind the business. We’re here for you and are doing everything in our power to make your wedding dreams come true.
Keep Calm:
For couples who have to postpone because of COVID-19, sending you a big virtual hug! We will get through this and it will be okay! Remember to communicate with your vendors and know that they are working hard for you! Try to remain optimistic and excited for your wedding and use this extra time to perfect your vows, connect with your loved ones, and more!
For couples getting married in summer, fall, and winter- hang tight! It’s easy to get anxious because of the news and seeing what is currently happening. But as we can see from the daily updates, things are evolving and changing. Before you make the call to change your wedding plans, wait it out a bit and monitor how the overall situation is evolving. Consult with your wedding planner and keep calm as things are progressing. Sometimes it can be helpful to setup check ins with your planner to touch base on their recommendations about the current stage of the situation.
Most importantly, we care about you, your health, and your safety. We are continuing to monitor the updates regarding COVID-19 regularly and will update you if there are many major impacts to Hawaii travel. We encourage you to continue following the recommendations of health professionals. Below is a list of advice on staying healthy released by Kaiser Permanente:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Wash your hands with soap and water regularly.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective
Try not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Stay home when you are sick (and keep sick children home from school).
Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. If you use a tissue, wash your hands afterwards.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
These times can be scary and filled with uncertainty. But, as with anything scary in life, it also reminds us of how vital hope is throughout it all. And above all else, the most important thing is that you have each other. You are going to marry the love of your life. Your wedding is one day in the lifetime of love you will have together. We want you to know that we are here for you, we’ve got your back, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you.